As If It's Too Much Work
by Raberba girl
Summary: Platonic fic for Demyx/Xigbar Day 2012. Demyx isn't sure how he ended up as a merman, but whatever; he's content to just drift. Heh, "as if" he'd be allowed to.


As If It's Too Much Work

A Kingdom Hearts fanfic series by Raberba girl

_For Demyx/Xigbar Day, 2 September 2012_

Summary: Collection of drabbles and one-shots about Xigbar & Demyx; no slash. [Demyx isn't sure how he ended up as a merman, but whatever; he's content to just drift. Heh, "as if" he'd be allowed to. Platonic series for Demyx/Xigbar Day 2012.]

Introduction: A conversation way, waaaaaaaayyyyyyy back (maybe even a year ago?) made me want to write about Xigbar & Demyx together, and I started looking for a suitable challenge for them. I wanted a short one, so I finally settled on the "12_fics" LiveJournal community. However, when I did finally get motivated to actually start writing it (thanks to my Pairing Days obsession *sigh*), I started coming up with plot bunnies, and eventually realized that it didn't really make sense to take on the challenge anymore... I already _had_ the plunnies in this case, so trying to make them fit the prompts would be stupid because the main reason I _do_ challenges is to be inspired by the themes.

So this is not gonna be a challenge response after all, it'll just be a regular series. At the moment, it's about nine installments long, but I've learned to not consider that kind of thing set in stone. *COUGHSTEPSIBLINGSCOUGH*

_I could not think of a title_, argh. It was a choice between the one up there and "untitled." -.-

**Drift**

He woke up with Relena's name on his lips, but once his eyes were open, he realized that he wasn't frantic about her like he'd been when he thought the monsters were going to get her. In fact, he wasn't really worried about her at all. Actually, he didn't care about a single thing at the moment, including the fact that his legs had mysteriously disappeared and been replaced with a dolphin tail he had no idea how to move.

So he just lay in the water and let the currents slowly carry him where they willed, and was not particularly concerned as he was turned gradually more and more head-downward. He thought in a detached way that it was peaceful down here, and he should have thought of becoming a merman sooner.

Why _was_ he a merman now, anyway? And where was this place?

A black cloud suddenly formed in the water nearby, and someone swam out of it. "Aha! _There_ you are, guppy. I have proof now, the Fancy-Schmancy Newbie Location Device needs tweaking."

"I'm not a guppy," he said vaguely. "I'm a guy. Well, I was." He looked at the tail. "I think I'm a merman now."

The stranger laughed and swam closer, dark hair streaming out behind him. "Haven't got the hang of this swimming thing yet, huh."

"Um...I never tried." Experimentally, he flapped the tail. "Hey, it moved." He was now more upside-down than ever. It was getting a little uncomfortable. In a weird way, he figured it was good that his body could still feel, because he himself felt...nothing. Like his heart had become a big blank.

"Give the kid a prize, he moved. Maybe we can teach him how to change directions next."

"How do you change directions?" he asked obligingly.

With some coaching, he managed to get himself upright, where he hovered uncertainly. "So...are we done now?"

"Why, you busy?"

"Uh...no."

"Running late?"

"No. Wait, yeah. I was supposed to bring the groceries back before 2:00, because Mom needed to start cooking before Uncle Baralai and Aunt Paine come, but...huh, I guess it doesn't matter now. Mom can't cook when she's dead. And there's no one left to cook for, anyway. Except me, I guess. Unless I'm dead, too." Which would actually make sense, seeing as how the last thing he remembered before coming here was those monsters tearing open his chest. He looked at the guy. "Is that why I can't feel anything? Because I'm dead?"

"Can't feel when you don't have a heart to feel with, kid."

"So they _did_ eat it. Rotten punks."

"Want revenge?"

"...I dunno. Not really."

"Heh, let me put it this way: would you want revenge if you could still feel?"

He thought about this. "I want my heart back."

"Awesome, so do the rest of us." The guy held out a hand. "Whaddaya say? You'll join us, so we can all work together to get those hearts of ours back?"

Hm. Work didn't sound like a good thing. "Nah, that's okay. I'll just float here."

"Oh, come on, we have cookies."

Cookies were good. "Okay."

The guy blinked. "Wait, what?"

"You said you have cookies, right? I'll come with you if you give me cookies."

That made the guy laugh a lot for some reason. "I like you, kid."

"Oh."

"What's your name?"

He told him, spelling it out when the guy asked.

"Well, kiddo, not anymore, because it's my turn to choose the name, and I pick...Demyx. You look like a Demyx."

"I do?"

"Sure."

"What was wrong with my old name?"

"It didn't have an X in it."

"Oh. What's your name, then?"

"X, i, g, b, a, r: Xigbar."

"Too complicated. I'mma call you Xiggy."

"Heh...why not."

Xigbar opened the black cloudy thing again. "C'mon, Dem. Don't mind the darkness, it won't kill you."

"Oh. Good."

"Don't be scared."

"I won't."

"That was a joke."

"Oh."

"Laugh, kid."

Demyx laughed. "...If I get my heart back, will jokes be funny again?"

"Probably. Let's test it when we're people again."

"Okay. It's a promise."

Xigbar stared at him for a second. Then he smiled a little. "A promise, sure."

They entered the dark corridor together and vanished without a trace.

o.o.o

Author's Notes: The original plunny was "Dem's early life in the Org," but when I started writing it from the beginning when he first became a Nobody, the story just kind of ended once he and Xig went to the castle. So I was like, "...Fine, I'll just post this to launch the series on September 2nd and then write the real story later." Sorry this initial fic isn't great, I've got some AUs and stuff planned, but I wanted to post SOMETHING for DemXig Day. *sweatdrop*

Lol, Gippal and Demyx (and Zack X3) have the same Japanese voice actor, and the English voice actors of Gippal & Baralai are brothers, so I guess that Gippal is Dem's dad in this universe. XD

I'm actually posting this a day early because September 2nd is on a Sunday this year... Also, this is not a rough draft, yaaayyyy!


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